Trump sowing divisions, says basketball's LeBron James

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers works out during a practice for the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena. Image: GETTY IMAGES

Basketball great LeBron James on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump of intensifying racial divisions in the United States.

"I believe our president is kind of trying to divide us," James, who is also a philanthropist, said in an interview with CNN's Don Lemon.

"He's kind of used sport to... divide us and that's something I can't relate to, because I know that sport was the first time I ever was around someone white. You know?" the bearded and bespectacled James said.

Trump has repeatedly criticized National Football League players who kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, a protest begun by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016.